Metropolis
by TLActor
Summary: Following Superman Returns. The world moves on after the New Krypton incident. Takes into account the 8 years of the TV show Smallville - and what that means for our hero a month after lifting the island into the sky. Disc: Characters property of DC & WB


_Author's Note: I've had this swirling around in my head for weeks and decided to take the time to sit down and write. I've always wanted to connect Smallville with Superman Returns. Though Smallville has created it's own canon and they both draw on different parts of the comics, I thought it could be a fun challenge. As an actress I thought it would be fun to write this a la episodic television. Each chapter will be equivalent to a one hour episode. However, it is written in prose (with some inspiration from scripts) so it won't take you the full 40 minutes to read. Let me know what you think!_

_This takes place about a month after Superman Returns. And takes into account Smallville through the Season 8 finale. The only alteration I made to either story is that Lois was never in Smallville. It's a big change I know - but I think it will allow for better situations in my story._

_Disclaimer: All Characters and Past events are property of DC Comics and Warner Brothers Studios. Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster._

**Back**

She entered the building, flashed her newly made ID to the guards and headed straight for the elevators. As she boarded the carriage with innumerable others she reflected on the past when she'd hit the down button. No more. After a long hiatus from the Planet and a brief break from journalism altogether, she was grateful to be climbing towards the top of the iconic building. As the floors continued to fly by, a slight feeling of nervousness began to creep in. She was in the big leagues now. Plus, he would be there. She'd never stopped reading his articles. Even after their lives had sent them in different directions, they still considered each other close friends.

The elevator gave it's ding signaling to the passengers that they had reached their selected floor. The doors parted to reveal mass chaos. People were frantically walking about, others were on their phones chasing down leads, and still others were busy typing away on their computers trying to make their next deadlines.

She headed straight through the chaos towards the door on the other side of the room labeled: Perry White, Editor-in-Chief. She tentatively knocked on the door. Nothing. Again she knocked, this time with the vigor she used to use.

"Come in," came a gruff reply. "Who are you?" Quickly followed as she entered and closed the door behind her.

"I'm Chloe Sullivan..."

"Ah, that's right. Sorry. It's been crazy in here recently. We're going to put you on the city beat for now. You worked here before, right?"

"Yeah, I was an intern right out of high school. I left a few years later." Upon Perry's quizzical look, she continued to elaborate. "Let's just say Lex Luthor and I had a bit of a disagreement."

Perry gave her one of his gruff laughs. "I'd say most of the world has had a bit of a disagreement with Luthor. If you still have ties to him you might be able to snap yourself a page one on your first day here! Or better yet, if you can get a hold of Superman and get him to comment. Now he's a page one..."

As Perry was about to go into the wonders of how Superman articles tended to send papers flying off the shelves, the doors to Perry's office were thrown open.

"Chief, I think I've got a lead on Lex....Sorry, I didn't know you had someone in here." As quickly as she'd entered the brunette turned to leave.

"Wait a minute. I was just getting Chloe here acclimated to what's going on around here. Lois meet Chloe Sullivan." Upon hearing the name, Chloe popped up in her chair and quickly turned to meet the young brunette. "Chloe meet Lois Lane. You'd do well to learn a few tips from Lane here. She's usually on her game. In fact, Lois why don't you take Chloe out to her desk and show her around."

"Chief, with all due respect, I'm in the middle of something here." Not wanting to be rude, she turned to deliver a quick, "No offense," to Chloe.

"None taken." Chloe replied with a slight head nod. "I'm sure I can find my way around."

"Now Lane I'm sick of you mopping around searching for Luthor. There are other stories out there. Like what's going on at City Hall. Why don't you show Sullivan here around then head down there." he stated, not as a question but as a command. "Let someone with fresh eyes look at the Luthor material. Now go."

"But chief..."

"I said go."

*****

Kate stood in her office at the top of the LuthorCorp tower. Frustrated with the incompetence she felt around her, she continued to unleash her wrath at three men in dark coats. "If you can't find him, then you're not looking hard enough. He's out there somewhere. There are only so many places he could have gone."

"Ms. Singer we've looked everywhere. I think it may be time to sit back and wait and see if he shows up. He always does."

"I don't think so Jerry. We have a duty to find him and with the completion of this new serum, I'm determined to do so immediately. If you guys don't bring him to me in the next 48 hours, you'll be done waiting for the rest of your lives."

"Yes, Ms. Singer. We'll get back to work."

"I thought so. The clock is ticking. Bring me Lex Luthor." With her final remarks, Kate sat in her chair and turned to face the window. Out of leads and out of time, Jerry and his partners exited the room to continue their search for the impossible.

*****

"There's the break room, over there is Richard White's office. He's the assistant editor." Lois pointed out as she headed towards her desk. "And this is my desk. There's an open desk over there," she said indicating a bare desk one aisle over towards the window. "I'm sure no one will mind if you stake your claim to it. Let's see. Anything else?..."

As Lois was beginning to shove Chloe out of her hair so she could get back to the Lex story herself, they were approached by a young red-head in a bow tie. "Hey Ms. Lane, the Chief said you'd need someone to go down to City Hall with you. I'll be ready in 10 minutes, if that's okay?" As he turned to run another errand for Perry, he noticed Chloe. Extending a hand he said, "Hey you must be the new girl. I'm Jimmy Olsen, resident photographer. Nice to meet you."

Chloe suddenly went into a trance. It couldn't be. Her memory drifted back to a time that seemed another life ago. Wasn't it only yesterday she was standing over _her_ Jimmy's grave with tears cascading down her cheeks? Could this be the little boy she'd handed her husband's (or was it ex-husband's) camera to? A sudden jolt on her shoulder brought her back to the present.

"Hello? Chloe? I think Jimmy'd like his hand back."

"Sorry. I don't know what came over me," she said releasing his hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Chloe."

"Olsen, do you have those pictures developed yet?" Perry shouted appearing out of his office.

"I'm on it Chief!" And with that Jimmy disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

"Well, it seems like you've met just about everyone. I'll introduce you to Richard as soon as he gets in. Other than that, I'd sit back and start working..." Lois was suddenly interrupted by a loud bang that sounded like someone had knocked over an entire filling cabinet. "Well, maybe not everyone. Hey Clark," she shouted in the direction of the cabinet, "there's someone here you need to meet."

Hearing the name she'd been waiting for, Chloe turned to come face to face with someone she didn't know. He was definitely still Clark Kent but with glasses and wearing a slightly large three-piece suit. And was he shorter? She couldn't be sure. It had been years since they had stood this close.

"Chloe? Is that you?" he asked her in a voice higher in pitch than she expected. Maybe it was because of all the excitement express in those single four words.

"Clark!" she exclaimed trying to ignore the fact that a different man seemed to stand before her as she enveloped him in a big hug.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Did he just stutter?, Chloe asked herself.

"Wait. Slow down. You two know each other?" Lois interrupted, dumbfounded at what was progressing before her eyes.

"Yeah," Chloe began. "When did you start wearing glasses, Clark?" Clark quickly shot her a look.

"There was actually a time when you didn't need those ridiculous lenses, Smallville?" Lois inquired in disbelief.

"Well, uh, yes. I wasn't born with them on Lois."

"With the way you always keep them plastered to your face, I wouldn't have been surprised. Since you guys are so close, I'll let Clark here finish your tour Chloe. Apparently, Jimmy and I are expected at city hall."

*****

Jerry and his men approached Kate, grins plastered on all of their faces. "We think we found him."

"What do you mean think?! I'm not a college Jerry, I don't pay you to think. I pay you for results."

"Of course, Miss Singer." Jerry's earlier confidence seemed to quickly deteriorate in Kate's presence.

"Well?" She was quickly losing her patience. "Where do you think he is?

"We tracked him to an island in the Caribbean."

"Very good. I want him here tonight. And no more thinking!" She called as they fled out the doors. "In a few short hours Lex, you'll see what a truly dedicated employee can do."

*****

A few hours later found Chloe and Clark sitting outside for lunch at a little cafe. They'd been separated earlier n the day. Drawn towards different projects. But a promise for lunch had been made soon after Lois had left for City Hall.

"What have you been up to?" Clark was excited to see Chloe. It had been so long. He'd taken a short sabbatical from the Plant to finish his training with Jor-El. By the time he'd returned, Chloe had already left with the League to play Watchtower.

"Mostly just following Oliver and the gang around. I was actually back in Metropolis a few years back for a while. I called your mom when I couldn't get a hold of you. She said you'd gone back to Krypton." Clark could feel her question eyes as she questioned him.

As Chloe continued to speak of his worthless five year trip, Clark mentally added another item to his ever growing list of things he'd missed in going to Krypton.

"Not to rehash your interview with Lois, but why'd you go? I mean all the Kryptonians you've met, besides Kara, have not turned out to be the nicest people."

"Chloe I've been alone for so long," he began. "I just had to know for myself if it was possible that Krypton could still be there. A chance to belong." His thoughts drifted back to his list: Jason, Lois. "But now...I...It doesn't matter Chloe. It's all done."

"The call for a change of topic dually noted. But I do have to ask, what's with the glasses? I might be able to look over the ridiculous suit, but glasses? Really?"

Before Clark could answer and explain something that deeply needed to be laid out for her, Clark's cellphone went off. "Hello. Kent...Yes, Perry....When?...We're on it....Yes, we're leaving now..." Clark looked dejectedly at Chloe. "I guess this will have to wait. You and I have an interview with Kate Singer, the new head of LuthorCorp, in five minutes."

"Let's go," Chloe said jumping up. Clark could tell she was excited to be back chasing leads.

*****

Kate hovered over the doctor as he started measuring out the green serum into individual vials. "Now you're sure that this will reverse the effects of the treatment Luthor received after the explosion?"

Dr. Knowle quickly turned to Kate. "Of course I'm sure, Miss Singer."

"He won't go off about being this criminal mastermind? He'll be the Lex that's capable of running a large corporation?" Kate took a vial from the doctor, turning it in her hands mesmerized by the eerie glow it excluded in the dark light.

"Well, not right away. The serum does have some side effects. Memory loss is one of them. He won't remember anything from the day he was injected with the other formula after his truck exploded on."

Kate felt somewhat relieved. "That's probably a good thing doctor. But everything else will be intact?"

Kate could see a flash of nervousness flash before Dr. Knowle's eyes as he turned to avoid the question. Why was it so hard to get straight answers from her people these days? She was so close. She couldn't let it fall apart now. "Dr. Knowle, there is something about this serum that you are not telling me. I want to know now."

"Alright. The truth is: I don't know what memories will or will not be intact. I'm confident that long-term memory will be there eventually. But you and I both now that prior to the drug-induced psychosis he's currently in, Lex was no stranger to traumatic events. He was inhabited by some alien creature, shot numerous times, knocked unconscious more that we can count, and he lost his father in a rather painful event. All of this culminating in his random, inexplicable disappearance. I don't know what he'll come back with. I am confident that we can work with him to help him gain all that is possible. Do you still want to continue?"

Kate took a step back from the doctor trying to physically space herself from the information she'd just been given. Was it only ten minutes ago that she had stood confidently knowing that she was going to get Lex Luthor back? Not some cookie cutter image of him – but the real thing. Now she felt as far away from achieving her goal as she did seven years ago when this whole thing had started. But she knew what the Luthor name stood for and what he would want. No one achieved great things without taking great risks.

"Absolutely, Doctor."

Just then a they were interrupted by a nervous looking intern that appeared in the doorway to the lab. "Miss Singer, there are two reporters from the Daily Planet here to meet with you. They said they had an appointment."

"Oh, that's right. Tell them I got stuck in a meeting. Go ahead and show them into my office. I'll be there in five minutes." As the intern exited, Kate turned back to the doctor, "I'll have Lex here by midnight. You just have the serum ready."

*****

Clark sat with Chloe in Kate's office, his mind stuck somewhere between the week of his return from Krypton and his teenage years. Sitting in Lex's old office, he wasn't sure what to feel. Lex had been a friend. They'd helped each other out numerous times during the early days in Smallville. Lex had also tried to kill him – multiple times. The most recent perhaps being the most physically painful. What had happened? How had they gone from best friends to total enemies? The obvious question continued to float to the forefront of his mind. Was he the one responsible? If he'd told Lex his secret early on, would any of this have happened? Were his lies and obviously contrived explanations been the catalyst to throw Lex over the edge?

Clark was summoned from his mental rant by Chloe. "This just feels so weird Clark. I keep waiting for Lex to walk in the door."

"Well, you'll just have to keep waiting then, Miss. Sullivan." Kate strode in from the side door and took her seat behind her desk.

"How did you know my name?"

"Oh, I know who you are. It's my business to know everyone from Mr. Luthor's past. You never know who or when they're going to appear out of the woodwork wanting something. Let's see. You were the editor of your high school paper, attended Met U, had a passion for the strange and unexplained, and Mr. Luthor's father got you your first byline at the Planet. Am I close?"

"Perfect," Chloe replied skeptically.

"And you Mr. Kent. I know a lot about you."

Clark and Chloe shared a suspicious glance. They both knew Lex had known his secret prior to his death. Clark knew that in his current state, Lex didn't know anymore. But how long had Miss Singer worked for the Luthors? Had she been in their employ long enough to have the knowledge of his powers? Of even more concern, had Lex kept the secret written down in some of his private files that she was now privy to? Clark's mind continued to whirl. Surely she didn't know. If she had, wouldn't she have done something with the knowledge by now?

Clark was finding his exaggerated caricature of himself easy to maintain. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I know that you and Mr. Luthor used to be really good friends. In fact, I'm pretty sure you helped each other out of some pretty sticky situations. You both had a strange passion for those caves out in Smallville, too. But, I'm sure you know your past better than I do and, undoubtedly, would rather spend our short time together talking about other things."

Chloe quickly jumped it, trying to compensate for Clark's worried face. "Actually, we do have some questions we'd like to ask you, Miss Singer. We've heard rumor that LuthorCorp has been experimenting with a drug to cure psychosis. And, if I'm not mistaken, the tests have paid off." Clark and Chloe could both see that Kate had clearly not been anticipating this being the direction of the interview. But she handled herself well.

"Well, Miss Sullivan. We have been experimenting with such a drug. But, as of now we have not come up with any great solution. Our doctors just finished explaining to me that their latest version of the drug can cause memory loss to the first day of the patient's psychosis. Now, as you can imagine, for those that have had a family history of the disease, this would be no solution. Seeing as the gene would have been there all along – their entire life's memories would be wiped clean."

Clark began to sense that Miss Singer was leaving out some important detail. "What prompted this research? Scientists have been working on many medications for years. Why has LuthorCorp made it their personal goal to create this drug in such a short period of time?"

"I can assure you Mr. Kent that LuthorCorp has been working on this drug for the last seven years. We have only come close to a solution in the last few months. In fact, we're preparing to do our first trial run on a human."

"Oh, really," Chloe burst in. "How did you manage to find a volunteer that's willing to run the risk of having his hardware wiped clean?"

"Our volunteer is a very passionate person, eager to live the life he should have been living. He's willing to sacrifice everything. And, like I was saying Miss Sullivan, the drug only causes memory loss to the date of the patients first battle with psychosis. Our patient has only had problems in the last five years or so." Kate could feel that they were digging for something. It was time for this interview to end. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work that I need to finish before the end of the business day."

Clark could tell that she'd revealed more than she had originally intended. The abrupt ending to their awkward meeting was proof enough. Clark had his own suspicions and was eager to discuss them with Chloe. If they were on the same page, he would need to act swiftly. Through his thoughts, Clark barely heard Chloe expressing their thanks for their interview while pushing Clark out the office door.

They were barely down the hallway and out of earshot when the looked at each other and said, "They found Lex."

*****

"I don't see why you couldn't be conducting this search in a more...official capacity." Clark and Chloe had managed to break into LuthorCorp's labs and were now rummaging around.

"Chloe how would it look if Superman was found digging through this lab with no apparent reason besides a hunch. A hunch that he wouldn't have been able to have seeing as he wasn't in a meeting with Kate Singer today. Breaking and entering wouldn't do anything to help his image either." Clark explained to Chloe. "Now if they've found Lex I'm sure there's something in here that will tip us off."

"Hey Clark. I wonder what these are for." Chloe found herself standing in front of what only could be described as giant commercial freezers. She tried the handle. "Locked."

Clark approached her from behind. "Here. Let me." In one swift motion the door was ripped off its hinges.

"Wow, Clark." Chloe was amazed at what stood before her. "There must be enough of this drug to do more than just a test run on Lex. I think there's something bigger going on here."

As Chloe continued to investigate the drug, Clark felt his body weaken. It had been a month since the New Krypton incident but he still felt his back pulsate with pain. He'd never had the effects of kryptonite last so long. Then again, he'd never been stabbed with it and then lifted a large island into space with part of it still lodged in there before either. "Chloe," he managed to elicit as he fell to his hands and knees. "There's meteor rock in the serum."

Chloe turned and immediately rushed to his side. "Clark! We've got to get you out of here. There's no way I can get that door back on that freezer by myself."

"Lex. We have to find out where he is. You have to keep searching."

"Lex can wait for another day Clark. I'm not going to let you die in front of me. It was hard enough almost watching it on TV." As she finished she attempted to prop Clark up in order to help him out the door. But with their difference in size, Chloe just ended up pulling him towards the door. After moving less than two feet, they heard the intercom sound.

"Dr. Knowle? Dr. Knowle, are you down there? I was supposed to have that update on my desk an hour ago." Kate's voice pressed. "That's it, Doctor. I'm coming down there myself and I will not be responsible for what I do to you if that report isn't finished."

"Clark, I'm not going to be able to get you out of here before she gets down here. If you have enough strength and can just knock the cabinet over to the right, all the vials should fall into that drain over there."

"Chloe I'm not destroying all of this. They've found a cure for psychosis. This could help so many people." Clark's strength continued to deteriorate and his words became more labored.

"Clark, I know you want to do the right thing. But this is not a cure. This is a continuation of Lex's own psychosis. This isn't for the public or Aunt Nellie down the street. This is some crazy test made for Lex. I know you like to give people second chances...but Lex is out of second chances. He's never going to change as much as you would like to think he is."

"Chloe...this isn't about Lex....Miss Singer could be...different." Clark continued to grow paler and paler as the argument ensued.

"Clark do it now. It's our only chance of getting out of here. Lex doesn't surround himself with people that are afraid to push the button. If you don't do this your secret will be out. No more hiding. No more personal life." Chloe was pushing him and they both knew it. But something had to be done. They had to get out of there.

Clark gathered up all of his remaining energy. He used the closest table to prop himself up onto his feet. Then with all the strength he could muster he reached for the side of the cabinet and pushed with all of his might. The cabinet didn't seem like it was going to give. As he struggled, Clark's thoughts turned to those he loved: his mom, Jason. They were all in trouble if his identity was published to the public. Just as he was about to give up the cabinet toppled over dumping the contents into the nearby drain.

Clark fell to the ground, his energy drained. "Good job, Clark. I knew you could do it." As the last milliliter of the serum disappeared, Clark's strength returned. Before Chloe could even process the fact that the serum had all seeped down the drain, Clark picked her up and super-sped out of the lab.

Seconds later, Kate entered the room. She took in the disaster that was the lab. A sly smile appeared on her face as she patted her right pocked.

*****

"What would your first day back be without a run in with LuthorCorp and a crazy drug derived from meteor rocks." Clark smiled at Chloe. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed working beside Chloe. The day had reminded him of their old days in Smallville, before his life had gotten so complicated (or had it always been complicated?). Either way, he was glad to have Chloe back in his life. He'd forgotten how much he'd missed her.

"Yeah, well," Chloe began flashing him her famous Chloe Sullivan smile. "I think I could have done without the kryptonite serum. But it was nice being back in the bullpen again. I think we should head out for some drinks to celebrate...that is, if you have time with your other responsibilities," she amended, realizing that things couldn't go exactly back to how they had been.

"I think I can manage a few moments with my best friend..." Clark answered as Lois approached the duo.

"So how was your first day Sullivan? You didn't have to pull Clark here out of too many jams did you?"

"Kent, Sullivan, my office. Now!" The Chief suddenly bellowed from his office.

"Well, I think that answers my question. Good luck," she threw out as she headed back to her desk. She followed the newly paired partners with her eyes as they entered Perry's office. 'What's wrong with me? Getta grip Lane. You grew out of having a partner, let alone a parter like Kent the day he left on his sight-seeing trip," Lois told herself.

Perry stared sternly into both reporter's eyes. "I just got off the phone with Kate Singer from LuthorCorp. She said that someone broke into her lab and destroyed some developments from a locked cabinet. After the topic of your interview, she assumed it had to be you. Though how she thought you two could rip a commercial grade freezer door off its hinges is beyond me."

Chloe tried to interrupt and come up with some plausible excuse, but was ignored by Perry. "Naturally, I told her she was crazy. There was no way you could have done all of that and gotten back to the paper as quickly as you did." Clark and Chloe both let out a visible sigh. "Now is there something that you guys aren't telling me? Something I should know?"

"N-n-noo, chief. I-i-i mean. Not that...I can think of." Clark explained, finding it very easy to channel his exaggerated version of himself.

"Good. Now I want you two to be careful around her. She may not be Lex but she's still dangerous. Now go home. Tomorrow's another day...and I expect a story tomorrow."

Clark and Chloe both nervously stood up from their chairs and headed towards the door. Though their secret had not been found out, the tension still remained. "Oh and Kent. Don't call me Chief!"

*****

Lois entered her home later than she'd originally expected. She'd called Richard earlier in the day to inform him that she wouldn't be home until after dinner – but assured him it wouldn't be too far afterward. Removing her shoes, she noticed the clock in the foyer display the current time at 10:20. Assuming everyone was fast asleep, she gingerly placed her purse down on the counter and tip-toed into the living room. Startled, she almost physically jumped back, when she discovered Richard sitting on the couch, fully awake, with a glass of wine in his hand.

"Busy day today? It's after ten. Whatever happened to 'I'll be home after dinner.' Jason missed you reading him his bedtime story."

"I'm sorry Richard," Lois began as she sat on one of the chairs flanking the couch. "I'm so close to finding Luthor. I know I am."

"Lois, give it up. He's gone. You're wasting your time digging into this. Meanwhile, your son is at home wondering if his mom even lives here anymore." A heavy pause followed as they both contemplated what that meant – and the truth of that statement.

"Lois, we need to talk. You haven't been the same since..." Richard was finding it hard to continue. They both knew since when but neither wanted to say it. His name wasn't spoken at home. In fact the entire topic was generally avoided. In recent weeks this had escalated so much that in a home of news reporters, the news was never seen on the television. "Look, Lois. I love you and I want to make this work. But we can't do that unless both of us are willing to work. We need to sit down and discuss what's going on. No matter how hard it is. If not for me, do it for Jason."

Lois didn't know what she felt following his words. Should she be angry with him for pulling the Jason card? Or maybe touched that after all they'd been through Richard was still here and willing to work on what was left of their strained relationship. She had convinced him to risk his life to save another man. And he had easily agreed to do so. Richard was a good man. Why wasn't he enough right now?

"Richard." Anger. Anger had served her well in the past. It would give her time to think about what she wanted. Time to talk to him. She abruptly stood up and headed towards the stairs. "Look, I'm tired and I just want to go to bed. I know we need to talk but I can't do it right now. I need to get some rest. I know what you think but Lex doesn't disappear that easily." And she disappeared up the stairs.

*****

The doctor filled the syringe with the vial of the liquid. The syringe began to glow in the dark light as it was stuck into an arm. Slowly, the liquid disappeared and the dark green hue vanished.

End E. 1


End file.
